Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #19 in County Durham public Top 26% UK

St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Frances Cessford

corporate_fareBISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST

location_onPeterlee, SR8 1DE

language Visit Website phone 1915876220

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

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Students

918

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Attainment 8

44.5

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GCSE Rank

#21 in County Durham

#1,824 of 3,216 nationally

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St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College is a Academy converter secondary school in Peterlee, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College is an academy converter in Peterlee, County Durham, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 937 pupils on roll, of whom 36% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.5, placing the school #21 in County Durham and #1,824 of 3,216 nationally. 42.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 14.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 12 A-level subjects. 34.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 10.9% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.24 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.4:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 12 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 25.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

44.5

Grade 5+ E&M

42.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)14.8%

Entering EBacc48.00%

EBacc APS3.92

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.22

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc37.10%

EBacc APS3.91

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.13

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39%

EBacc APS3.65

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc29%

EBacc APS4.36

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.24

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.1%

Achieving A*–A10.9%

Achieving A*–B34.4%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate100.0%

A-level subjects offered12

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.29

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate92.30%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate94.40%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

13 June 2023

Inspection Report

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07 January 2021

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2017-02-08

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-01-21

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

24.1%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

11.0%(103 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 937 pupils. During this period, there were 226 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 24.1%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	937	226	24.1%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	967	265	27.4%	7.8%	10
2023/24 (Summer term)	939	156	16.6%	7.4%	4
2023/24 (Spring term)	954	143	15.0%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	970	93	9.6%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	914	147	16.1%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	918	130	14.2%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	918	64	7.0%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	805	48	6.0%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	808	22	2.7%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	816	31	3.8%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	721	20	2.8%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	720	6	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	724	29	4.0%	3.9%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 46 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 31 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 24 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 22 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 10 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 6 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

71.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

74.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

27.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree21%

agree41%

disagree18%

strongly disagree11%

don't know8%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree15%

agree39%

disagree24%

strongly disagree16%

don't know6%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree27%

agree21%

disagree20%

strongly disagree17%

don't know1%

not applicable13%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes37%

no63%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree31%

agree22%

disagree18%

strongly disagree24%

dont know4%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree36%

agree38%

disagree15%

strongly disagree5%

don't know7%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree25%

agree48%

disagree13%

strongly disagree10%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree27%

agree36%

disagree25%

strongly disagree11%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree25%

agree57%

disagree9%

strongly disagree4%

don't know4%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree24%

agree56%

disagree8%

strongly disagree4%

don't know8%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree26%

agree27%

disagree22%

strongly disagree11%

don't know14%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes69%

no31%

Top Secondary Schools in County Durham

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

Requires improvement

location_on Durham, DH1 4NG

emoji_events #1 in LA

Tanfield School

Inadequate

location_on Stanley, DH9 8AY

emoji_events #2 in LA

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

Outstanding

location_on Durham, DH1 4SU

emoji_events #3 in LA

Belmont Community School

Good

location_on Durham, DH1 2AG

emoji_events #4 in LA

The Academy at Shotton Hall

Outstanding

location_on Peterlee, SR8 1AU

emoji_events #5 in LA

Easington Academy

Good

location_on Peterlee, SR8 3AY

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in County Durham arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in County Durham

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

Tanfield School

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

Belmont Community School

The Academy at Shotton Hall

Easington Academy